Christmas is just around the corner 😬 so it’s time to start thinking about presents. Cornwall is full of talented creatives, so you don’t have to look far for some festive gift inspiration.
I can’t believe it’s time to put together a Cornish Christmas Gift Guide! Seriously, where has the year gone?
It was a total joy compiling this Christmas gift guide. What a fabulous range of products and services we have in Cornwall, for people of all ages with a range of interests. As it can be tough finding new and inspiring Christmas present ideas, I’ve created a long list of Christmas present recommendations for you. Plus, by purchasing from an independent Cornish retailer or creative, you’re supporting small local businesses which is appreciated so much.
To make things a little easier, this Christmas gift guide is split into different sections: Experiential Cornish Christmas Gifts, Cornish Gift for Outdoor Lovers and Active Types, Cornish Christmas Gifts for the Home and Garden, Cornish Food and Drink Gifts, Cornish Jewellery, Cornish Christmas Gifts for Children, Cornish Gifts for Health and Wellbeing, Cornish Clothing and Accessories, and Cornish Books and Stationery.
You’re sure to find something you like!
Experiential Cornish Christmas Gifts
Curious Creatures Photography
Michelle at Curious Creatures Photography specialises in naturally posed baby and family photography, harnessing soft, natural light and capturing heartwarming moments with care. Her attention to the little details make the most ordinary of moments seem magical, making her a popular choice for families, couples and expectant parents.
Michelle offers a comprehensive and personal photography service. She has a studio in Truro and also loves doing outdoor sessions, especially on the Roseland Peninsula.
Visit Curious Creatures Photography.
Dine With Iris
If you’re looking for a mouthwatering outside, intimate picnic experience or grazing boxes, you’ve found it right here with Dine with Iris. Offering delicious, colourful, local, seasonal foods, Dine with Iris’ picnic and grazing experience allows you to relax and celebrate in idyllic locations. All linen, glassware and floral are provided in a colour of your choice, and you don’t have to pack anything away!
There are some Dine with Iris offers currently available. These include a picnic for 2 in 2022 and a special proposal package, which includes scattered rose petals & lanterns to accompany your picnic. You also have a hand tied bouquet of fresh flowers to take home.
Suzanne Johnson Photography
Suzanne’s a family photographer in Cornwall. Her style is raw, nostalgic & honest; capturing fleeting and authentic moments of motherhood, fatherhood and childhood in timeless, beautiful photographs for you to return to time and time again.
Suzanne’s approach is simple. She looks through her lens through the eyes of a mother. She seeks special moments and is obsessed with finding the details that make you and your family unique: your quirks, your connection, your dedication to each other and your essence. Suzanne aims to capture your story of today for the future, when you’ll long to remember what it felt like.
Visit Suzanne Johnson Photography.
Cornish Gifts for Outdoor Lovers and Active Types
Ulu Dry
I think we all noticed the increase in open water swimming in lockdown and the enthusiasm for it certainly hasn’t waned. Ulu Dry sell swimming tow floats and waterproof backpacks to encourage and enhance people’s desire to explore in water. Ulu Dry founder, Ben, is an RNLI coastguard and their products are designed in consultation with RNLI safety experts.
I have one of their Guardian II inflatable dry bags and they’re brilliant. I feel safe and confident wearing it, especially when swimming alone. They have 2 internal chambers offering a generous 18L of storage. This is a great gift for sea swimming wannabes and enthusiasts.
Rooted Ocean
Cornwall based business, Rooted Ocean, are on a mission to inspire a love of nature, surf and outdoor activity through the best quality, sustainable gear and apparel. They have lots of Christmas gift ideas on their website; you can even design your own changing robe!
Rooted Ocean’s go-to adventure companion, The Traveller Blanket, is perfect for beach trips, days out, concerts, festivals, and family events. Designed and built in Bude by the people at Rooted Ocean, this large picnic blanket hits all those problem areas you’ve previously experienced. It has an exterior waterproof outer with an anti-spill, water repellent inner. Once you have added their Free Repairs Warranty, this truly will be the last blanket you’ll ever buy.
Cornish Christmas Gifts for the Home and Garden
The Cornish Surfer
Inspired by the ocean and offering luxury lifestyle products, The Cornish Surfer has something for everyone. With their synonymous wave and stripe design, The Cornish Surfer is an eco-conscious brand with both comfort and refined luxury in mind.
When I think of The Cornish Surfer, their super soft and cosy recycled blankets come to mind (available in a range of colours). They’re perfect for staying warm during slow evenings on the beach, wave watching, with a glass of wine or a hot chocolate. Other homeware, such as bone china and cushions are available, as well as smaller products, like coasters and hot water bottles. In fact, their hot water bottle covers are made from their cushion cover off-cuts, minimising waste while ensuring our tootsies stay warm over the colder months.
Fused Glass by Claire Harris
Claire has been fusing glass and making artwork for over a decade and can be found in St Austell Market House. Her designs inspired by, and emulate, a love of the Cornish coast and landscape, and its texture and light.
Claire’s process for making her fused glass artwork involves 2 firings, each lasting 12 hours. She makes wild swimming and coastal themed trinket dishes, curved or waved shaped glass scenes and wall hangers. Claire runs workshops too, allowing you to make your own fired glass keepsake.
Visit Fused Glass by Claire Harris
Cornish Craft Corner
Hannah Rowe is the maker behind Cornish Craft Corner. When she’s not working hard on her Cornish farm, she makes lots of different items for your lifestyle and home. These include pretty decorations (Hannah can french knit!), stretchy bookmarks and lanyards. Hannah also makes bracelets and earrings. Reducing waste is important to Hannah, with any left over ribbon and material being used for other items, like hair grips.
Visit Cornish Craft Corner facebook page
Penny Sherwood, Cornish Artist
I know, it’s me!
Aside from writing blog posts about life in Cornwall, I also paint the wonderful views I see during my wanderings, runs, swims and explorations. My art is closely related to my Cornish fishing and sailing heritage, and my visceral connection to the sea and Cornwall’s coast. I have both original acrylic paintings and limited edition giclée prints of Cornish coastal views and quiet, intimate landscapes, allowing you to have a beautiful Cornish view in your home, wherever you live.
Visit Cornish Art by Penny Sherwood.
Cornish and Cosy
Cornish and Cosy sell luxury blankets made from 100% Merino wool, suitable for your home or next adventure. Taking inspiration from Cornwall’s unique beauty and nature, Cornish and Cosy encourage others to be present, enjoy the moment, and feel cosy. I think that’s definitely achievable with their wool blankets; I can just imagine sitting round a beach fire, all wrapped up in one of these! If you’re looking for something smaller, they sell Merino wool socks (excellent stocking fillers) and recycled rucksacks.
Cornish and Cosy are all for sustainability, offering carbon free delivery and lifetime repairs so your blanket will last and last.
Anna Blackie Creations
Anna creates a selection of colourful illustration prints and cards, inspired by adventures big and small. Her ideas are often sparked whilst exploring the beautiful Cornish scenery. She has a selection of Christmas cards too and can create custom landscapes of your favourite view, to make a great personalised gift.
There’s a range of prints available that are perfect for sport lovers, and adventure stickers which would make great stocking fillers!
Holly Woodman Textiles
I discovered Holly’s Cornwall inspired cushions and homeware on Instagram (where else?). She sells tasteful coastal designs lino print or hand painted on a range of products from wall hangings to water bottles. You can also buy fabric by the meter to add your own coastal inspired creation in your home.
Visit Holly Woodman Textiles.
Cornish Maid Designs
Cornish Maid Design sells a range of tasteful Cornish and coastal digital typography prints, ready for you to download instantly and print out at home. In classic coastal colours of blue and white, these minimal and classy prints are a great addition to any home. Cornish Maid Design prints are available to purchase on Etsy.
Some designs are also available on a range of different products such as cushions, bags, mugs, coasters, notebooks, clothing and much more through the Cornish Maid Design RedBubble shop.
Ways To Say Thank You Seed Packets
Made from eco-friendly kraft paper, these personalised seed packets are perfect stocking fillers. Each packet contains over 100 wildflower seeds all sourced from the UK. They’re perfect for getting people of all ages into planting, nurturing and gardening.
Time and Tide Aerial
Discover the world from above and gift a beautiful aerial shoreline view. Victoria Benjafield at Time and Tide Aerial, takes stunning drone photographs of places all around the world, including Cornwall. Examples here are of the Sand Bar between Rock and Padstow, and Constantine Bay in the Spring.
Victoria’s fine art prints come in a range of sizes from A4 to A0 (depending on the print). Her images are also available on t-shirts, which are made from sustainable cotton.
Cornish Food and Drink Gift Ideas
Lars and Margo Coffee
Coffee lovers will love Lars and Margo’s fair trade, speciality coffee. Based in Liskeard, owners, Peter and Mandy run a sustainable and ethical Cornish business. Quality beans are selected based on origin, flavour, acidity, body and cupping score to give you delicious cups of coffee like, Margo’s Brazilian, Ugandan Midnight Flyer and Malawi (just 3 of the blends on offer).
I’ve tasted some of Lars and Margos coffee: it’s delicious with the quality being evident in every mouthful. They grind their beans specifically to suit how you make your coffee (cold, brew, french press, etc). For a Christmas gift, you can purchase coffee by the bag, a sample pack of 5 blends, or treat someone to a coffee subscription.
Delea Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are full of beneficial bacteria and probiotics that are excellent for digestion and gut health and it’s great to see them readily available in Cornwall. Delea Fermented Foods is owned by Caitlin, who is based in Liskeard. You’ll find jars of delicious, crunchy, tangy kimchi, sauerkraut, curtido, and other combinations available for sale. These can be purchased individually or in a gift pack. Alternatively, gift vouchers are available. If you fancy gifting something more hands on, Caitlin runs fermenting workshops in Truro and Liskeard. The perfect gift for food enthusiasts!
Drink Finder
Drink Finder is Cornwall’s one stop online alcohol store, selling fine wine and spirits. The physical shop is the well known Constantine Stores, an unassuming village shop that houses the widest range of booze I’ve ever seen!
At Drink Finder you’ll find an abundance of Cornish spirits online including Cape Cornwall Spiced Rum and Cornish gin. I’d recommend their own Penny Drop Cornish Old Tom Gin, a premium gin with a Cornish take on the traditional Old Tom style of gin. With a slightly sweeter taste compared to London gin, with specially selected botanicals, including juniper berries and black pepper. It’s tastes best with a classic tonic and a slice of lemon.
*item gifted
Cornish Jewellery
Lucy Kemp Jewellery
Lucy Kemp Jewellery offers a range of beautiful pieces, all handmade using eco or fully recycled sterling silver. She’s been making jewellery for over 20 years and is located on the harbour in the stunning Cornish town of Hayle.
Her jewellery is personal, functional and contemporary. Her Mini Studs are perfect for stocking fillers, with other larger pieces also available. Lucy offers a commissioning service if you’d like to design your own piece of bespoke jewellery.
Mor Glass Co
Mor Glass specialises in handcrafted jewellery combining sea glass and other beach treasures with recycled metals to create the ultimate beachy vibe. All glass used is from the Cornish coast, with Mor Glass donating 5% of all our earnings to Surfers Against Sewage to help protect our oceans.
As well as working with sea glass, Mor Glass offers a range of memorial jewellery which embeds the cremation ashes of a loved one into a piece of jewellery which can be cherished forever. It couldn’t really get more special or sentimental.
Cornish Christmas Gifts for Children
Tevi Toys
Tevi Toys started in 2019 by Cornish-based couple Jordan, teacher and Jim, carpenter. They brought their skills together to create beautiful handmade wooden toys. “Tevi” meaning “grow” in Kernewek celebrates the locally grown wood re-formed to help young minds grow.
The wood used is sourced locally in North Cornwall, the paints and finishes are natural and eco-friendly. These heirloom toys are made to be played with for generations.
Our Kindi Folk
Our Kindi Folk hand paint wonderful little characters to help bring play and stories to life. Each one is made to order and can be personalised at checkout.
They make for a perfectly unique gift this season.
Visit Our Kindi Folk
Cornish Gifts for Health and Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Wisdom Club
Why not give the gift of creating the life you want in midlife? Tracy offers life coaching sessions, and take it from me, she’s very good. With a focus on women’s wellbeing, Tracy champions others to rewrite their story and find their confidence and purpose. It’s empowering and good for the soul. You can gift someone a power hour with Tracy, or enrol in her 6 week programme. She’s happy to be approached and discuss different options in more detail.
Visit The Wellbeing Wisdom Club Website
Seasoul Blessings
At Sea Soul Blessings, Pippa creates beautiful gifts inspired by the sea and her love of it. Her bestselling Sea Soul Journey Oracle Cards are a soothing and mindful tool for connecting to the ocean and your intuition. Evocative ocean postcards and mini journals are available to capture your beachside musings along with the original Sea Soul Blessings cards.
Pippa’s monthly subscription community, The Sea Circle, makes a very special gift for a sea-lover (or yourself!). The subscription includes mindful practices that draw on the ‘blue mind’ wellbeing benefits, inspiring gifts in the post, ocean meditations, journal prompts and more in weekly ‘love letters from the sea’. Pippa also hosts an online ocean retreat each month for the Sea Circle community to come together.
Sea Soul Blessings donate 10% of all sales from their website to environmental causes.
Alicia Ray Wellbeing
Alicia Ray is a local psychologist and yoga teacher who promotes a holistic approach to wellbeing. She integrates Eastern/Western practices to align body and mind, with an emphasis on acceptance,self-compassion, balance, reflective practice and restoration.
Alicia offers a range of services, including beach yoga, silent disco beach yoga; indoor and online yoga and mindfulness, yoga & wellbeing workshops and retreats. One gift idea from Alicia Ray Wellbeing is the Exclusive Winter Yoga and Wellbeing Workshops in Penryn. Alternatively, her gift vouchers can be redeemed against any items on her website, including Mantra Gems.
The Green Room at Trewince
Pamper someone special by gifting a wellbeing session with Karen Green at The Green Room, Trewince (on The Roseland Peninsula). Karen uses the well renowned Weleda products to offer holistic wellbeing treatments, including a signature facial to restore vitality to the skin. You will leave feeling relaxed and totally nurtured.
Karen offers wellbeing advice and skin consultations. She is able to advise which Weleda self-care products are best for you and your family, and which can offer the best remedy for minor ailments, aches and pains.
Visit Karen Green’s facebook page.
Lucy Loves Nutrition
Give someone the incredible gift of nutritional therapy support with Lucy Harris, Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach. Lucy can help those experiencing niggling symptoms, never-ending digestive issues, or chronic conditions. Perhaps you know someone who’s simply after some help and foundational guidance to introduce healthier habits in the New Year. Either way, Lucy has a programme for them.
Using an evidence-based, personalised nutrition and lifestyle approach, Lucy works collaboratively to achieve your loved one’s unique heath goals. She will empower them to make long lasting, sustainable diet and lifestyle changes leaving them feeling fantastic.
Gift vouchers are available and can cover or contribute towards the cost of the programme. These are personalised for the recipient.
Jenny Farley NYR Organic Consultant
Working as a Neal Yards Consultant in Cornwall, Jenny helps people find the skincare best suited to them, tries to solve any issues they have, and introduce people to aromatherapy. This includes creating personalised body lotion and bath oil blends.
Jenny’s available for pamper parties – the best alternative Christmas party for you to treat your friends! Jenny continued working through lockdown, and is able to hold parties online as well as in person.
Visit Jenny Farley NYR Organic Consultant
Cornish Clothing and Accessories
Carnwear
Cornish knitwear brand, Carnwear, embraces traditional artisan skills and small-scale production processes. Carnwear garments and accessories are hand crafted by designer/maker Jessye Boulton, who works from her studio in rural West Cornwall, near Penzance. Creating stunning, tactile pieces of knitwear for both men and women, Jessye works on hand operated knitting machinery, using the finest silks, luxurious wools and other natural fibres. The ethos of slow fashion is at the heart of the Carnwear brand, with each item consciously crafted with longevity in mind.
Tea and Coast
Based in lovely St Ives, Tea and Coast are a sustainable and eco-conscious Cornish clothing and accessories brand. They love producing light hearted and fun clothing for adults and children that doesn’t pollute the earth. There’s definitely a touch of Cornish humour in their designs and offerings.
All clothing is printed on demand using water based ink on soft, organic cotton in a factory powered by renewable energy. All Tea and Coast products are made to be remade and not end up in a landfill. They’re designed to be sent back to be made into another cotton product. Tea and Coast offer vouchers for those returning products to redeem against your next purchase.
Arvor Life
Offering eco-friendly clothing and accessories, Arvor Life celebrates the connection of land to sea. You’ll find gorgeous organic or recycled cotton goodies from cosy sweaters to comfy tees, all designed beside the sea in sunny Cornwall. The perfect pressie for wild swimmers, walkers and anyone else who loves the outdoors.
Plus, Arvor Life products are plastic free, vegan and sustainable. They’re super comfortable too so they’ll be your go-to everyday regardless of whether you’re lounging at home or exploring outside!
Cornish Books and Stationery
Once Upon a Tuesday
There’s nothing like Christmas and New Year to ignite the urge to get organised and plan ahead. Thankfully, Once Upon a Tuesday have got us all covered with their beautiful, stylish paper calendars, diaries and planners. Michelle and her team design these contemporary planners and diaries in Cornwall. With lots of options on offer, from habit trackers to wall planners, there’s a Christmas gift for all stationery lovers.
PLUS – Once Upon a Tuesday are offering readers a 10% discount off all orders, just add THEGREATCORNISHOUTDOORS10 at the checkout.
Visit Once Upon a Tuesday website.
Wild Swimming Cornwall
Wild Swimming Cornwall are a swimming community offering tips and advice for those who want to enjoy the exhilaration and benefits from wild swimming. This guide to wild swimming in Cornwall will help you discover 54 wonderful spots for you to take a dip, surrounded by nature.
What a wonderful list, thank you to everyone who has supported the creation of this Christmas Gift Guide! I know I’ve found some Christmas present ideas here, along with a few treats for myself.
Don’t forget that Cornwall has many big and small Christmas Craft Fairs and markets happening between now and mid December. Great for inspiration and supporting small local businesses in Cornwall.
